Lost in Mutation
by The Poor Poet
Summary: Snatched from his world, a young boy must learn to survive in his new life as a human, or find a way back with his own kind. TF, Rated T for possible adult references/violence in the future- at the moment, it's suitable for most ages. R&R, please.
1. Metamorphosis

Birds chirped happily, the soft sounds of insects humming along in the background, and the familiar smell of wet grass and foliage met his nose.  
The tiny creature scampered along the forest floor, stopping every few minutes to check for danger and to smell the fresh air. He could smell other creatures, his own kind, and others. There were no threats that he could detect, so he hurried along. His yellow fur bristled in the brisk air, his tail twitched and his ears perked up at every sound.

A young pikachu out alone in the forest is never safe, so instinctively he was heading back to his family. He had wandered away from his pack a few hours ago, and although he had felt the thrill of exploring, he regretted leaving the security of his homelands. He came to an overturned log blocking his path, the huge, thick block of wood completely obscuring the way.  
He looked up at it, and then to the side. He could easily walk the few feet around the tree and continue on his way, but he was urged to go forwards by his own sense of adventure, and scrambled up it, his sharp claws digging into the bark. It was tough, but he made it to the top and sat for a moment, triumphant. His ears pricked up.

A flock of taillow screeched wildly and fled from their trees, off into the sky. Spinning around to see what it was, the pikachu lost his footing and slid off of the log, just managing to hang on with his forearms, his stomach flat against the side. The bird pokémon sounded their calls again, some circling around to watch the predator as it approached. The young pikachu's eyes widened as it saw the creature, nearly three times his size and twice as powerful.

It gave a low growl as it scented its first meal, the grey dog like pokemon slowed to a stop ten or so feet away, and looked the pikachu straight in the eye. Another growl escaped its throat and it lunged forwards, breaking into a run. Exclaiming suddenly, the pikachu let go of the log with his claws and turned tail, bolting away as fast as he could. The mightyena cleared the log with its powerful legs and continued after the rodent, hungry and merciless. Dashing through shrubs and bushes in an attempt to shake the predatory pokemon off of his tail, the pikachu was torn at by branches and thorns and became a patchwork of cuts. Other prey pokemon were nowhere in sight, they had heard and smelt it coming long before the pikachu had- it seemed he had much to learn, if he would survive this encounter.

The pokemon was now giving up hope of escaping, and began to slow down from exhaustion, the outcome would be inevitable. Something flashed past the pikachu in his peripheral vision, for a split second and no longer. Turning to see what it was, he noticed the Mightyena gaining on him sharply, and gave in. He stopped, collapsed, and waited for his fate.  
A high pitched tittering caught the pikachu's attention, and his ears perked up. Another flash passed his eyes, and the noise grew louder. The Mightyena was now a mere few feet away, it wouldn't be long now. He closed his eyes and braced himself- The Mightyena yelped loudly.

Inhaling sharply, he opened his eyes again, realising that his demise had been stalled. The mightyena was cowering a few metres away, hunched over as it stared up into the air. Following its gaze, he caught a glimpse of it again, darting around, a flash of blue for no more than a split second- then it stopped, and launched an attack.  
The orb flew at the Mightyena once more, singing its fur and startling it. Knowing when it was beaten, the Mightyena retreated hastily, its tail between its legs. The mysterious saviour purred in a high pitched voice as it levatated above the pikachu, eyeing it up curiously. The pikachu was equally curious, and cocked its head to one side in surprise. The creature flew lower and inspected the pikachu's wounds, not quite sure what to make of them.

It smiled, and launched another orb directly at the pikachu. He winced, knowing what had happened to the mightyena was likely to happen to him, but yet again, the pain didn't arrive. Instead, a strange warmth surrounded him as he was encased in the orb as it grew in size. His wounds seemed to melt away as the light from the orb filled him, and looking at his paws, they too melted away. In a panic, he twisted around, trying to see, trying to escape. His fur melted away now, breaking away from his skin and disappearing in the blue light- and as the orb grew larger, so too did the pikachu. Writhing in fear he tried his best to break free, gnawing at his furless arm in frustration- until his sharp rodent teeth also disappeared, being replaced by dull teeth and four incisors. The strange saviour watched on curiously as the pikachu was deformed, not understanding the creature's fear and need to run.

After what seemed an eternity to the pikachu, the orb disintegrated, leaving him face down on the floor. Regaining his wits, the pikachu got on all fours and started off at a run, but fell short of his step with his front paws and again, wound up on the floor. The pikachu was now hyperventilating, the fear in his eyes perfectly clear to all but this strange creature floating above him. It made a soft chirping sound, cocked its head and giggled- before darting away again into the sky.

Trying to calm down, the pikachu groomed itself rapidly with its front paws, then stopped and examined them briefly. He flexed the strange digits the were attached to them, similar to his ordinary fingers, yet different- the claws were flat and dull, and his fingers seemed to bend in another joint. Scurrying around to check his back paws, he was releved to find his fur covered tail spinning around with him. His feet, however, were completely different. Again, strange claws grew from them, but now as he sat hunched over, the part of his feet that had once been a joint sat completely flat on the ground.

He was completely deformed, nothing was in the right place or in the right shape or bent in the right direction. He was completely bald except for the blonde patch on the top of his skull, his long ears, and his tail, and ultimately, completely naked. He sniffed the air, trying to get his bearing again, but something was amiss. His senses were almost numb compared to what they had been, he could barely scent the grass beneath him, let alone his family or a threat. He was blind without his nose, there was no way he would be able to figure out where he was going or what was going on without it. Getting to his feet again, he teetered along on all fours as best he could, and attempted to blindly find his way home.

--

Author's Notes:  
Hi there, thanks for taking the time to read this. It was just something I threw together at 4AM and decided to upload mainly because I had nothing better to do. I'm definitely going to continue this though, so don't worry if you want to know what happens next. :)

The Poor Poet


	2. Discovery

"Professor, wait!" The teenager ran after the man in the lab coat as he left the building, clutching a handful of books and a clipboard, "I thought I could help you in your field research."  
The man sighed, "Very well, then. But do try to keep up."  
Heading out down the paved road they came to a large archway, leading to a heavily forested area situated right behind the lab. The professor's boots stepped lightly through the undergrowth, a prime example of a man with experience in the field of pokémon research.  
"Goodness, Robert, will you please be quiet?" He hissed at the student following along noisily behind him, "The aim is to study the pokémon, not scare them away."  
"Ah, sorry, sir, I just-" He stuttered as he dropped a book.  
The professor pressed on, before coming across a pachirisu sitting happily in a clearing, gorging itself on berries. Raising a hand motioning the eager teenager to stop, he crouched down and pulled out a notepad and pen, writing down notes at high speed. Robert tried to do the same, but inadvertadly scared the pokémon away with the noise he made rummaging through his kit.

Standing up sharply, the professor turned to him, "Why exactly are you here with me, Robert?"  
"I.. Uh.." Robert said, blushing slightly, "I really admire your work, sir, I just thought that I could help."  
"You're making it nigh on impossible for me to work at all, son. Perhaps it would be best if you returned to the lab."  
"Oh, please, I promise I'll keep it down from now on, I'll just observe- just let me stay."  
Exhaling sharply, the professor agreed to let him continue accompanying him throughout the trip. Whilst walking through the trees and foliage, Robert finally broke the silence.  
The professor cleared his throat, "Yes, I was on an island south of Kanto. But I'm afraid the project itself is classified."  
"Oh... Well, what made you return to Sinnoh?"  
"It was a failure."  
He nodded slowly, not saying a word as they approached a wild starly and took notes.

The deformed pikachu stumbled along the edge of the river, his forelegs too short to walk properly, and his feet feeling the pain of every thorn beneath him. He stopped to rest, panting from exhaustion, and from fear. He began grooming himself once more, dipping his paw into the water to rub onto his face. He cocked his head at his rippled reflection, seeing his pale, bald face for the first time.  
Not quite believing it was him, he waved a paw over the water, watching the reflection do the same. Baring his teeth, he leapt at the impostor in the river, before hastily realising that it wasn't a good idea. He scrambled up the bank, cold, wet, muddy, and all in all worse for wear. It was going to be a long day.  
His ears pricked up. A familiar sound met him, it was his family, calling out for him. Shaking himself off, he dashed forwards clumsily in the general direction that they were in. He burst through the forest in a hurry, as soon as he was home the nightmare that he had experienced would be over, he would be able to continue his life, vowing never to leave the sanctuary of his territory again.

He skidded to a halt; he was within his pack's boundaries. His blind nose wouldn't hold him back any longer, at last he knew where he was going. Inhaling deeply, he bounded onwards through the long grass and into the clearing which housed the burrows.  
The wind picked up quickly, whipping through the grass and sending his scent towards the pack members as he approached. Those who were above ground stood to attention, before sharply turning tail and sounding the alarm, sending the entire pack into a scurry. Confused, the young pikachu called out to the sentries as they all headed towards the nearest burrow in fear- the call for a threat had been sounded, yet the pikachu could see none himself. Still, he trusted the sentries to do their job, and decided that he too best run for cover. He scrambled towards an entrance to a burrow, but soon found that it was much too small for him to enter. He tried another, one that he had used that very morning, but to no avail; they had all somehow gotten much smaller in the short time that he had been away. He tried to dig his way in, expecting another creature like the Mightyena to pounce on him at any moment. These thoughts only panicked him further, causing him to break his dull claws against the dirt and rocks that he couldn't shift. He called out for his family again, almost ready to break down in terror.  
A few metres away, a familiar face peered out of a burrow, checking him out. His elder sister, who must have been working on sentry duty. She eyed him up, her nose twitching frantically as she analysed his scent. Braving to take a step closer, she left the safety of the burrow and approached the strange intruder cautiously. She circled him, not quite sure what to make of him, before finally lowering her hackles and sending the all clear echoing throughout the tunnels.

It was a stranger to her, but she could smell the pack from this creature, strongly enough so that it must have spent time with one of her kin.  
A few curious youngsters appeared first, followed by the elders who all started chattering away at the sight of their strange new visitor, who couldn't seem to get his message across explaining that he was family. A session of tag broke out, and the group leapt around the small field nipping at each other's heels, though the stranger could barely keep up with his misshapen legs. It didn't matter to the pikachu that he couldn't play with his pack as well as he used to- he was home, and he was happy. He spotted his parents and siblings in the crowd and headed over to them, nuzzling his mother kindly. She didn't accept the stranger's gesture and ushered her children away untrustingly. His ears fell sadly- not even his own mother recognised him. He was about to follow when another alarm call was made.  
The pack scattered, some headed into the trees, most headed into the den. The pikachu was left with no alternative but to follow those who had taken shelter in the forest, running as fast as his uneasy legs could take him.

"Do you see that?" Robert breathed in awe, "An entire herd of pikachu!"  
The professor nodded, motioned for him to be quiet, and continued writing. Robert watched silently as he not only observed a group of wild pokémon going about their business, but a master researcher going about his. The professor jotted down something else, glancing up at the herd playing in the late afternoon sun, then stopped. A larger figure appeared in the long grass, running and jumping along with the pikachu, seemingly acting as one of the herd. Squinting, trying to get a better look, the professor leant forwards- snapping a twig and wincing almost simultaneously.  
"Pikaa!" A scout called suddenly, sending the group into a panic.  
In the flurry of rodents, he saw it- the child standing alone, a delayed reaction from the rest of the group, running into the forest a few seconds later.The professor was speechless, and mouthed a few words, but no sound came from him. After a moment or two, he cleared his throat.  
"Blast." He muttered, "I must be losing my touch."  
He got to his feet, convinced that the inexperienced student beside him was none the wiser of the situation, and suggested that they continue for a few more hours before heading home."O-of course, professor." Robert stuttered, seeming quite shaken up.  
"Very well. I suggest we head off in this direction-" He waved in the direction that the scurrying pikachu had gone, "-we may catch up with some of the herd later."  
Robert nodded and followed, an eager smile spread across his face as he pieced together what he had seen.

Panting furiously, the pikachu came to a stop. It seemed that wherever he went, he was being chased by something in one form or another. The others that he had been following were long gone, and again, he was lost. He didn't dare risk calling out for his family again, not now that he was so far away from them and in another's territory. If another pack came along, he would be torn to pieces- if a predatory pokémon came along, he would be torn to pieces and eaten. Either way, staying quiet seemed like the best option.  
He nursed his sore paws, the soles of his feet were blackened with dirt, what little fur he had was wet and full of leaves, and he was constantly being reminded of how poor his senses were all of a sudden. At least his hearing seemed to be fairing well- at every sound his ears involuntarily twitched, a good thing now that he was relying on hearing and sight alone. Another thing that he had noticed- his sight seemed to be much better than it was before, though his peripheral vision wasn't as wide, he could see further and his vision seemed much sharper. It was just as well.  
His stomach gargled loudly. He realised that he'd had very little to eat, and he'd been running for most of the day. There was little food around him, the sweet berries weren't ripe at this time of year, and there was little vegetation that he could settle on that he was sure wasn't poisonous. He picked up a pine cone- there were no seeds, but he was getting desperate. The fibre would help either way. He held it in his front paws, trying his best to gnaw on it with is dulled teeth. There wasn't much to the pinecone, and it tasted rather horrible, but it filled a hole. As he chewed away, his ears swivelled forwards. Something was in front of him in the distance. He dropped the cone and crouched down, ready to bolt if danger approached.

He blinked- a pair of strange creatures had been watching him eat from twenty or thirty metres away. They had frozen up as they realised he had noticed them, which slightly reassured the pikachu. If they were scared, they probably weren't going to eat him. He reached out to pick up the pinecone again, glancing at his new paws, and back at the observers. It occurred to him that these strange beings had very similar features to his new body- were they once pikachu as he was?  
Something inside of him urged him to venture towards them, to see them, to find out what they were. Another conflicting force inside of him urged him to run away now while he still had the chance- but he had been running all day, it was late, and he was tired. His faith in this new gut instinct scared him slightly, but he chose to follow it, and made his way towards them.

It approached the pair, curiosity burning in it's eyes, as well as the distinct fear of the scientist and the student. It's ears- they were the first thing you noticed upon seeing this thing. Long, thin, blonde and black furred ears protruding from the top of it's head, and a space missing where any normal person's ears would be, naturally. And it's tail- also pikachu-like, a lightning bolt shaped tail which twitched up and down as it moved- most definitely attached. The very last thing, though perhaps the most obvious, was the fact that this child was completely naked. The professor jotted down something hurriedly, before placing the notebook down on the ground in front of him and talking in a soothing tone to the child.

Whatever it was, it was trying to communicate in some strange foreign language that the pikachu had never heard before. He eyed up the object that it had placed in front of them, and leant forwards to swipe it. He grabbed it in one paw and scrambled back a few feet, studying it curiously. He pulled at a page of the notebook, ripping it from the binder. Now only obsessed with the paper, he dropped the notebook and gummed the page.

The professor was astounded, there was no way that this child was human. It was feral- that alone hadn't been seen in the region in decades. He decided to test the limits of this child's trust, he held out his hand and beckoned for him to come closer. Robert simply sat in silence, grinning slightly. This would be something to write home about.

Now the creatures were offering him their paw- perhaps a grooming right? They seemed kindly, so far they hadn't pounced on him, and that alone was enough to warrant trust. He spat out the piece of paper that he was chewing on, and crept forwards, sniffing it's paw cautiously. He flexed his own digits and held his paw out, touching the palm of the stranger, feeling the furless skin. He placed his paw on it's, and it slowly grasped on to him.

He tightened his grip slowly, watching the fear mount in the child's eyes, before reassuring it with some kind words. He turned to Robert, "Did you bring your lunch, by any chance?"Nodding, the student pulled out a small plastic box and opened it, revealing a pot of cold pasta and some fruit. The professor took the box and lowered it down to the child."Are you hungry?" He asked soothingly, "Would you like some food?"The child reached forwards and swiped the pot of pasta, sitting hunched over and eating it as fast as it could with its dirty hands. Removing his lab coat, the professor draped it over the child to cover his nudity and keep him warm.  
"Are we going to bring him back to the lab?" Robert asked quietly.  
The professor nodded, standing upright, "What else would we do? It would be insane to leave him out here."

The pikachu gorged himself on the food that the strangers had given him, while listening intently to the noises they made as they communicated. They were very strange strangers, that had to be said. They had no fur, and stood on their hind legs, they were unlike any pokémon he had ever seen before. He was grateful for the food, and for the warmth that they provided him with their strange garment, and he was more than happy to stay with them as they walked through the forest. It was only as the neared the edge of the trees and came to strange stone ground that he began to feel wary of these creatures. But, they beckoned him forwards, and he followed at the prospect of the remainder of the box of food.

--

Author's Notes:

Haha, I finally got around to writing chapter two. I didn't expect to write so much, I'm usually lazy when it comes to things like this and end up doing about 1000-1500 words, but I made it into the 2000 mark. :) I didn't want to go down the road of translating everything the pokémon said, as so many other authors do, simply because I don't see wild pokémon speaking in the way I would portray them to do so. It isn't realistic enough- then again, this is a story about a fictional creature becoming human in a fictional world. Carry on.


	3. Dilemma

The strange creatures beckoned him into what the pikachu could only describe as their large den. He anxiously scanned the room, taking in everything. It was bright and metallic, with white tiled floors and an undeniable odour that, even with his his dulled senses, overpowered his nose leaving him feeling ill. Strange objects were littered around the room, lots of the paper that had grabbed the pikachu's attention before, and large flashing machinery that hummed softly and continuously. One of the strangers edged behind him and closed the door quietly, and spinning around, the pikachu suddenly realised that his exit had gone. Not feeling immediately threatened, though slightly shaken, he stepped forwards, resting on his knuckles as the next best alternative to paws.

"What are we going to do with him now?" Robert asked quietly, but his silent excitement vanished with another thought, "What about his parents?"  
"Don't be perposterous. This child was running around the forest naked and alone, not to mention the fact that we aren't even sure if he's human." The professor glanced at the boy as he curiously pulled at a drawer and inspected the contents, "Even if he had parents, it seems as if he's been abandoned."  
Robert nodded slowly, agreeing for the sake of agreeing. The professor was obviously much more knowledgable in these situations than he was- not that this happened often. Even so, he couldn't help but worry about the possiblity of their actions being taken in the wrong way, and they were deemed kidnappers, or worse.  
"But still, professor, what are we going to do with him now?" He persisted.  
The professor marched to the other side of the room and picked up the reciever of the video phone, "I need to make a phone call, Robert. It's late, you should go home and let me handle the child."  
He made no eye contact with the teenager as he dialled the number and braced himself for the conversation. Robert had no choice but to do as he asked and leave quietly.  
"Oh, and Robert-" He turned to face the professor, "This is our little secret, remember."

The Pikachu watched the other creature leave the room curiously, whilst the other stood at a screen talking to itself. Feeling his stomach gargle again, he creapt around the room gnawing on whatever he could reach, trying it for edibility. This little test usually was no problem out in the forest, the berries and mushrooms rarely had any side effects to the pokémon that eat them regularly, but it didn't seem to be the best method in the stranger's den. He grasped a stick like object and bit into it- before spitting it out sharply as the black liquid oozed from inside of it onto his tongue. He dropped the pen and rubbed at his mouth, trying to rid himself of the taste, but it didn't seem to want to leave his mouth.  
Shuddering, he left the desk area alone and continued on his mini-voyage around the laboratory. Amongst the papers and the clutter of the room, a small box grabbed his attention, reminding him of the box he had gorged himself on earlier. He leapt up and pulled it off of the surface, before retreating under the table and opening in.  
Inside, a handfull of small, round objects were sitting neatly in a row. He picked one up and sniffed it intently- thinking twice before biting into it, instead, he examned it. The metal was cold against his furless fingers, and as he held it, it suddenly gained alife of its own and grew in size. Startled, he dropped it and edged away as the contents of the ball leapt out at him.

"I understand, but surely you can't expect me to keep him here?"  
"There's not much else you can do, I'm afraid. I can call someone to take it away, but you know full well what the outcome of that would be."  
The professor sighed and glanced away from the screen. It was a big dilemma. He couldn't keep the child in the lab, to do so could risk his well established career. But if he let them take him- it didn't bear thinking about. He settled on one choice.  
"Very well. I'll keep him here for the time being, but it can't be a permanent situation." He said at last, looking the man in the eye.  
"Then I suggest you find someone willing to keep it for the remainder. I can't help you with any more than what I've offered"  
"I know. Thank you for-" He was cut off by a piercing screech, turning to find chaos breaking loose.  
Amidst the mess of papers flying through the air and shifting furniture, the professor could make out the blurred outline of the child and a poochyena scrapping under the table. Petrified, the child bolted out and cowered behind the professor, the poochyena trailing behind him, its jaws clamped tightly on his tail. The professor quickly prised it away and reached out for its pokéball, but it was almost impossible to find in the growing clutter. Now the pokémon turned to its owner, fangs bared and barking loudly.  
"Feral children and feral pokémon-" The professor groaned, "It looks as if it's one of those days."

The pikachu watched in horror as the pokémon leapt at the kind stranger, the events of the day played back in his mind; the mightyena had terrified him, and though the poochyena was little over half his size, it was just as frightening. He creapt backwards, fear overtaking him, the urge to bolt rising more than ever. The poochyena had now managed to get a grip on the stranger's leg, and had no intention of letting go any time soon.  
As scared as he was, he hated seeing the stranger being attacked and attempted to fight back against the pok?on, but it appeared as if his electicity sacks were no longer there either. Feeling powerless, he scrambled ontop of the desk and pushed his back as far away from the table edge as possible.

A glint caught the professor's eye, and he reached out to grab it. He held the pokéball out towards the poochyena and it disappeared in a flash of red. As he caught his breath, he gazed over his workplace- it was in shambles. There was no way that the child could stay here, no work would be done, and not a day would go by without such chaos ensuing. He would have to find someone to look after him without great attention being drawn to him by the media or the general public. It would all boil down to a matter of trust. For tonight, however, he would have to stay here. He scanned the room quickly and found the child cowering in the corner of a desk, between the filing cabinet and the wall, the professor's lab coat wrapped around him tightly. He held out his hand, and the child, surprisingly, grasped onto it. He was a fast learner, it seemed.  
A makeshift bed was formed from the curtains and a table- not much else could be found in a research lab, so it would have to do for now.  
"Stay here, now. I'll be back in the morning." He promised, before locking the door, and retreating to his home further down the road.

--

Author's Notes:

Aha, you're still reading. I haven't scared you away just yet, then. Sorry for the long delay with this chapter, it's summer, I've been traveling a lot and naturally I can't carry a desktop around with me. Yes, a laptop is on my Christmas list. A bit shorter than the last one, but I hope that you enjoyed reading it. If not, go ahead, tell me how terrible it is- I need some constructive criticism. I'd also like to know what you think is going on. I've got the plot all sorted out, but I'd love to hear your ideas about what you think will or should happen.

Until the next chapter,

The Poor Poet


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